A few months ago, Samsung said it would release the One UI 8 Watch update to at least some of its eligible Watch models before the end of 2025.
Fortunately, the oldest eligible model, i.e., the Galaxy Watch 4, has just started receiving One UI 8 Watch in Korea, with many more markets to follow soon.
Good news for everyone, a bit of both for the Galaxy Watch 4
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The fact that the Watch 4 hasn’t been pushed back to 2026 should mean that every eligible Galaxy Watch out there could be rocking the latest update before the end of 2025. And that’s great news for Samsung smartwatch fans everywhere.
But as far as the Galaxy Watch 4 itself is concerned, while it is refreshing that it received One UI 8 Watch before the year ended, the news is bittersweet.
One UI 8 Watch is the final major update the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic will ever receive. The 2021 watches are now over 4 years old, so they’re no longer eligible for firmware updates.
What about the Galaxy Watch FE?
The Fan Edition smartwatch sure raises some questions. The Galaxy Watch FE is a rebadged Watch 4 re-released in 2024. It already received One UI 8 Watchand technically speaking, it should receive a few more yearly upgrades than the Watch 4 because it came to the market later.
But would the FE’s hardware be able to handle future updates? And if the Galaxy Watch FE proves that its hardware can take it, should Samsung leave the Watch 4 behind or try to support it for?
It will be interesting to see how Samsung handles the situation. In any case, the Watch 4 smartwatches from 2021 have had a good run so far, especially given that they were the first to transition from Tizen OS to Wear OS.
But if you feel like One UI 8 Watch isn’t the snappiest it could be, and you’re considering an upgrade, now might be a good time to check out our complete Samsung wearable gift guide for 2025.
Holiday shopping and enhanced trade-in offers may allow you to get decent discounts on the latest Samsung smartwatch models. For instance, Watch 8 buyers in the USA can potentially save $125 or $150 if they trade in the Watch 4 or Watch 4 Classic.
But if you still want to get the most out of your Watch 4 and keep using it, let’s hope One UI 8 Watch is a good version to end support on.
What are the key improvements included in the One UI 8 Watch update?
One UI 8 Watch is the final firmware milestone for Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 lineup, marking the end of official software support for both the standard Watch 4 (including the Classic) and the Watch 4 FE.
When Samsung unveiled One UI 8 Watch in early 2024, it was positioned as the Wear OS‑3‑based upgrade that would bring the same visual language and feature set found on newer Galaxy Watch 5 and watch 6 devices to the older hardware. The rollout began in March 2024 for most regions, delivering version 8.0.0 (build 46.0) to the Watch 4 series. The update introduced refreshed UI elements,a revamped “Health Dashboard,” newer watch‑face customization options,and modest battery‑life optimizations,but it also signaled that Samsung would no longer develop major feature upgrades or Android 15‑aligned patches for this generation.
The decision to end support aligns with Samsung’s typical three‑year software‑update policy for its wearables. The Watch 4 line, launched in August 2021, has already received two major UI updates (One UI 5 Watch in late 2022 and one UI 7 Watch in mid‑2023). By delivering One UI 8 as the last iteration, Samsung ensures that the devices remain functional and secure while encouraging users to transition to newer models for future innovations such as Galaxy Watch 6 Pro’s advanced health sensors and tighter integration with Android 15.
From a technical viewpoint, One UI 8 Watch leverages the same underlying Wear OS 3.0 kernel used
